Personally, I was thinking about being an optometrist or being in a part of optometry. For that, I will require some knowledge of technology. For example, for recording information, about a patient or a worker, I will need to use a program that can record and store data on my computer because nowadays paperwork is no longer being trusted to confide personal information. I believe that if I will start a company, or perhaps join a company, I will be able to tell my patients that I am advanced with technology, they can look me up online, find how I have used technology so far, and trust the fact that I can keep their information that they have given me in absolute secrecy.

Before I go into optometry, I must first go to an university and later on a school of optometry. Before I can go into either of them, I need to know that any of the people that are thinking of letting me learn there can and probably will check what I have done on the Internet so far. If there is anything in my status that will concern them, I might not get in and never be able to get into optometry. This is why I need to keep my digital footprint clean so that it will never haunt me later on.

2 ) Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.

I try and keep my commenting on social media and other sources very appropriate and easy to understand. I am aware of the dangers that come with rude or inappropriate commenting, so I verify my commenting each time I post it. It is really hard to not say something you really want to say to person, but usually, it is a personal thing and if it something that needs to be said, it is better to tell the person face-to-face.

In Grade 8, we learned all about how to check if a website is secure or not. There are a lot of signs and they are not that hard to follow. If I check which websites it is I am using, then it is so much easier to not get distracted by ads or unnecessary information. I know by experience that sometimes, even if it is accidental, if you click on ad it might keep spamming you forever and remember the information that you clicked on that ad. That ad might even show up sometimes if you ever Google yourself, and it really shouldn’t be.

Another way to keep a Digital Footprint nice and clean is by deleting all previous accounts you don’t need. Even if they appear in the “deleted” part of the search if someone is looking you up, it won’t be the first thing that shows up and it also sends a signal that it is something you don’t need and use so it probably isn’t updated or used frequently. It does stay as a part of you digital footprint, but it makes you look more organized because you don’t keep old accounts you don’t use or need anymore.

3 ) What information did you learn that you would pass on to other students? How would you go about telling them?

I knew that the Internet would track me forever. I did not know that it can also track your location and find deleted things. Also, I did not know that It also keeps your baby photos and baby information. In class, we watched a video about and example boy whose name was Andy and the video told us all about what was a part of Andy’s digital footprint. It was interesting to see an example of what an average person’s digital footprint looks like. If I were a teacher, and I was to teach other kids about digital footprints, I would use a similar video, however in this one I would show what happens if you don’t keep your digital footprint clean and appropriate. A negativity way helps me remember things, and it can also can scare me and make me do things the right way.